


Vanguard

by SaberSwan



Category: Horizon: Zero Dawn (Video Game)
Genre: Eventual Romance, F/M, Fluff, Post-Canon Eventually, Romance, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-19
Updated: 2017-04-25
Packaged: 2018-10-07 14:51:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 16,393
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10362906
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SaberSwan/pseuds/SaberSwan
Summary: "Her hair was glowing as if it was on fire, her light green eyes glinting with confidence, and Erend thought he'd never seen anything more beautiful."What if Erend and Aloy had realised their feelings each other during course of the game? Ereloy slow burn romance, loosely following the plot of the game and extending past the end eventually.





	1. Chapter 1

   The pinkish light of the dawn sun warmed Aloy's face as she crested the dune on her way to meet Erend. She lifted her hand to her forehead to shield her eyes and spotted Erend in the distance, standing with a shrub between him and a pack of grazers. Suddenly, a watcher walked around the bush and screeched angrily at the sight of the large man, alerting the pack and other watchers. Aloy immediately started running down the dune, her feet starting to slip through the loose sand under her boots. Drawing her bow she slid down the rest of the dune and trained an arrow at the second watcher's mechanical red eye. It toppled with a zap of energy and the nearby grazers yanked their heads from the sparse grass, snapping their attention to the red-haired woman.  
   She leapt up at the base of the dune and leveled an arrow at the back of the closest grazer, aiming to knock off several of the blaze canisters protruding above its spine. Erend had killed the other watcher this point, and when the blaze canisters fell with a clink, the rest of the grazers bolted across the road and away from the two warriors. Aloy retrieved her prize from the grazers and started rooting through the watcher she'd killed, unaware of Erend's impressed gaze. He'd never get used to the ease with which she killed machines, he thought. She was always so calm, so collected, even when sliding down the face of a giant dune. He wasn't wrong when he met her, he thought, when he told her that Ersa would like her. Ersa and her were similar, he thought, in their bluntness and their unshakable confidence. A strong sadness bloomed in his heart at the thought of Ersa, a now-familiar feeling since she'd been gone. A simmering anger also flared with the sadness, at the state of Ersa's body when they brought her back to Meridian, at the people who would do such a thing to his big sister. He could feel Aloy's stare on his face while he was thinking, and pulled his face into a more neutral expression as he turned to face her.  
  "Why are you out here all alone Erend? Where are your men?" Aloy's expression was as neutral as normal, but Erend felt a tingle down his spine at the thought of her possible concern.  
  "I'm not going to risk their lives. I don't mind putting my worthless life on the line. But not theirs. Sorry I had to drag you into this." Something tugged sharply in Aloy's chest at his self-hatred, and she fought the concerned expression that threatened to show itself, she knew Erend wouldn't want her pity. So instead, she deflected the conversation, shrugging off his apology to make sure he knew it wasn't an imposition on her.  
They followed the tracks to where Ersa's team was ambushed, Aloy moving slowly with her hand to her focus the whole time. Her concentration was palpable, and they took nearly all morning examining the site, walking back and forth across the site, looking across the river, and up the path. Eventually, Aloy found tracks that looked as if someone had dragged a body to the site, and followed the tracks to the base of a mesa. They made their way up to the top, before being ambushed by a team of rogue Oseram. Aloy was injured in the battle, an arrow piercing her armor in her shoulder, impairing her aim with her bow. Erend rushed over after he killed the last ambusher, just in time to see her rip the arrow from her shoulder and throw it angrily on the ground. He opened his mouth to offer her help but she'd already begun wrapping her shoulder with bandages from her pack.  
   "Are- are you all right? I don't know why Oseram would attack us, they're my people..." Aloy was having difficulty with the bandage and after struggling for a moment, accepted Erend's offer of help. His large hands were surprisingly gentle as he finished wrapping the bandage around her shoulder and tied it securely. His bright eyes scanned over her shoulder, making sure of his handiwork, a hand still gently resting next to the wound, careful not to harm her. He met her eyes after a few moments and suddenly realized how close they were, clearing this throat awkwardly and rubbing the back of his neck as he stepped back.  
   Aloy felt an unknown tension release from her shoulders as he stepped back, and turned away quickly to start examining the scene of the ambush. Her focus identified things that the normal person wouldn't see, and she quickly put together that something unusual happened to Erend's big sister. She explained and choose her words carefully, knowing that his psyche was in a precarious state, watching the realization dawn on his face as she laid out the attack. Erend felt hope spread it's wings and take flight in his chest- his sister could be alive! He quickly put together who the likely culprit was- Dervahl. His fists clenched at his sides at the memory of the man making advances at his sister, and his anger at her denial, his vow of revenge when they joined Avad.  
   "It's Dervahl. That bastard! We have to tell Avad, he'll know how to track that fiend down. Thank you Aloy, so much, I'm going to head back to Meridian immediately and tell Avad the news. Will you accompany me back?" He added the last bit without thinking, a slight blush creeping into his cheeks at what she might think of the request.  
   Aloy, of course, didn't think anything of the request, thinking he just wanted to expedite the investigation to find his sister, and agreed. She suggested finding mounts for them to speed the return journey, and returned a couple hours later with two broadheads, not noticing the awed and admiring look on his face. He watched her ride back into their makeshift camp, the sun behind her shoulders, making it look as if she glowed from within. Not for the first time, he was amazed at how beautiful this woman was, how she didn't already have lines of suitors marching behind her. Her hair was glowing as if it was on fire, her light green eyes glinting with confidence, and Erend thought he'd never seen anything more beautiful.  
   The next hour was a struggle for Aloy, attempting not to chuckle when Erend fell off his broadhead not once, but three times, his uncertainty showing in the lines on his forehead. Aloy smiled as Erend finally found confidence in riding his broadhead and raced off ahead of her, throwing an excited grin back in her direction. Aloy finally let herself laugh out loud, and raced after him into the setting sun, back toward Meridian.

* * *

 

   Sun-King Avad wasn't nearly as radiant as he'd been described to Aloy, but that was a good thing. He seemed to be a reasonable man, never once looking down at her for being a 'Nora savage'. She decided that she liked him, and that his help would be invaluable to her and Erend's hunt for his sister. His second, Blameless Marad was an odd man, not only due to his title. He was reserved in a way that no Nora was, and had a sort of quiet authority that Aloy felt it would be wise to respect.  
   Erend watched from afar as Aloy spoke to Avad once more, anxiously awaiting the end of their talk. He wanted to make good on a couple of the offers he'd made while in the Nora lands, to show Aloy around Meridian, and to trade stories over a drink. He thought back to that day, how cocky he'd been... Stupid, he thought, trying to hit on a girl from another tribe. And then, she'd been dead, he was sure of it. He'd seen the explosion on the mountain as they were leaving the embrace, and the panicked faces of Nora tribesman rushing past them. He'd heard how most of the Nora made it off that mountain because of the "outcast", and how she hadn't been seen yet, then- boom. He assumed that day that he'd never see her again, that she'd died in the explosion or from the attackers- how wrong he was. How much he'd underestimated this woman - she was a force of nature, an avalanche on a cliffside, decimating every obstacle in her way, and doing so amazingly unscathed. Indeed, the only evidence he'd seen that she nearly died that day was a thin scar across her throat - from what, he did not know.  
  She emerged from the meeting room with Avad, and Erend nodded to them both respectfully, before trailing after Aloy. She stopped at one of the balconies overlooking Meridian and the great tiered plots of crops below the mesa.  
   "Beautiful, isn't it?," Erend leaned into the balcony next to her, gesturing across the city with a small smirk on his face. Aloy smiled and leaned over the railing next to him, but did not reply.  
   "If you'd like, I can give you a personal tour of the city - I did offer at the proving, but that feels so long ago now, I figured I'd repeat the offer." Erend looked over at her and smirked, attempting to commit her to memory. The way her green eyes sparkled in the midday sun, scattered freckles that covered her nose and cheeks, the way the corner of her mouth curved in what was almost a smirk but not quite.  
   "All right, since it seems I'll be visiting here more often than I thought, I'll take you up on that offer Erend," Aloy turned to him and actually smiled this time, and Erend felt his heart clench at the sight of it. He decided, then, that he would like to see that smile more often.


	2. Chapter 2

It was several weeks until they heard back from Blameless Marad's spy, and even then, Aloy was off on another mission to find Olin. She'd gone with Erend on a tour of the city, had a couple of drinks with him and shared stories, but then the next day she was gone. She'd told Erend that she couldn't just wait around to hear back from Marad's spy, but he hadn't expected her to leave so suddenly. Why wouldn't she? He mentally smacked himself, it wasn't as if she had anything to stay here for, as much as she didn't seem to hate his company, she had bigger things to do. He was just glad he'd gotten a few more smiles from her, and a couple laughs to remember while she was gone.

  
If her smile was wonderful, her laugh was truly heavenly. It was usually accompanied by a wide smirk, and was the most carefree aspect of her personality- you could tell she was actually relaxed when she laughed, the vibrations running down her spine and bending her at the waist if they were strong enough. He'd gotten her to laugh that hard only once so far, and it was with a joke about Avad's aversion to shirts.

  
She'd told him stories about her childhood, failures of hunting that he refused to believe, how could she have ever been unskilled? She told him the story of when she'd saved the boy named Teb when she was only six, and he was far more inclined to believe that she'd been that skilled when she was young, despite her protests that it was the focus' doing and not hers. He'd countered her stories with ones of his childhood, making his first war-maul, how proud he'd been of the misshapen lump of metal, and how his parents had chuckled but congratulated him on his work. She'd smiled widely at him when he told this story, and he couldn't help but smile back at her, remembering the ridiculous maul and his childish glee. He thought of that smile now, the way she'd looked at him as if she was imagining him as a small child, and finding it difficult. He was a large man, he could imagine it'd be hard to imagine a smaller version of him, only having known his adult form.

  
Little did he know, at this moment, Aloy was riding an elevator to the top of the mesa, thinking of that exact moment. She'd been gone about a month, and the first thought that'd popped into her head upon seeing the city in the distance was the smile and slight blush that had been on Erend's face when he told that story. She still didn't think she could picture him as a child, but she imagined he was stocky even then, hefting his imperfect maul high as he attacked the machine dummies, spinning slightly after the attack with the momentum of the heavy weapon. A strange feeling rose in Aloy's chest as she imagined this scene, and she examined it for a moment, not knowing what it was, before it flitted away as the elevator clanked to a stop.  
The first thing she did was go to her favorite armor merchant and purchase the Carja style armor she'd been eyeing for quite some time. She'd been trecking across the desert in heavy, warm Nora armor for too long, and she'd thought she might die from the heat one time too many on this last mission. The bared midriff was unusual for her, but it would serve to keep her cool, and she was willing to do almost anything for that at this point.

She went into the nearest inn and changed into the armor, stowing her heavy furs in her pack. Immediately, she felt significantly cooler, the thin silks and bare stomach removing much of her built-up heat, and she quickly used a scrap of material to wipe the sweat from her body where it had accumulated on the trip back. Leaving the inn, she wracked her brain for the route to Erend's favorite bar, where she knew she was most likely to find him. Much to her surprise, he was not at his customary seat at the bar, instead she found some of his vanguard soldiers. They all smirked and one chuckled at some unknown joke, but they pointed her toward Avad's palace, saying that Erend had headed that way about an hour prior.  
The trip to the palace was quick, and the guards across the bridge greeted her by name, which surprised Aloy. Although, she supposed, she was likely the only person with red hair they'd ever seen. She was the only person she'd ever seen with red hair, now that she thought about it. _Must make her easy to pick out in a crowd_ , she thought. In the distance then, she heard the characteristic low guffaw that was Erend's laugh and a smile rose to her face, unbidden. She skips steps on the way up to Avad's balcony, forcing her face back into the neutral expression they're all used to. Despite her efforts, a smile springs to her face when she sees Erend- currently moving with exaggerated motions, clearly telling some sort of joke, if the snorts of his vanguard and the reserved chuckle of Marad is anything to judge by.

  
Avad is the first to notice her arrival, a smirk on his face and a small wave to bring her into the conversation. He is shirtless as usual, Erend's joke rises to the front of her mind, and she barely suppresses a laugh. Erend straightens at the sight of her, and his light blue eyes light up as they meet her green ones.

  
"Aloy! It's good to see you, we've received news from Marad's spy on Dervahl's hiding place," he starts the sentence with a smile lingering from his joking, but it fades as he thinks of how much closer they are to finding Ersa. A nod to Erend at this news, and then Aloy looks to Blameless Marad for more information. He details the spies findings, and that he last reported in from Pitchcliff, a small village on the side of a mountain in Oseram territory.

  
"Great, I have time to head there now, if that's fine with you, Erend?" Aloy's determined exterior had returned, her usually bright eyes dark with the thoughts running through her head. She'd been resistant to helping Erend at first, her own personal goals seeming more important than helping the vanguardsman get revenge for his sister's death. But when she'd found out what really happened at that ambush, she'd resolved to find Ersa. She'd seen the hope that exploded on Erend's face when she'd revealed the truth, and she couldn't deny him this closure. After all, half of the reason for her mission was getting revenge on the man who'd killed Rost.

  
A determined, almost angry look settled onto Erend's face and he nodded at her, looking as if he didn't trust himself to speak cordially at the moment. Aloy could almost see the thoughts running through his mind, and behind the stormy look Aloy almost thought she could see a sliver hope glimmering.  
The trip to Pitchcliff was long and quiet. Aloy settled into the silence, trying to ignore the tension in the air between Erend and the other Oseram vanguardsmen. When they camped the first night on the side of the road, the vanguardsmen started drinking some Oseram brew they'd brought with them, and started singing a drinking song. Normally Aloy knew Erend would have joined in, but tonight he only watched them with a slightly sad look on his face, and they were sobered sooner than usual by the somber atmosphere. Aloy was busying herself making arrows to one side of the campfire, cautiously watching Erend, concerned about his dower mood. He was usually such an upbeat happy person, seeing this other side of him threw her off, and she decided she'd try and cheer him up.

  
The next morning, she suggested that she'd capture some mounts and they could ride the rest of the way there, in order to arrive faster. Erend was cautious, his vanguard had never ridden machines before, and it was only his second time doing so. Aloy smirked at them and assured them out wasn't so hard, knowing that the vanguardsmen wouldn't want to be shown up by her. So they grudgingly agreed, and Aloy set off tracking the nearby pack of striders. Swiftly and stealthily, she took control of five striders, and killed the other two in the pack to harvest for parts.

  
She returned to camp riding one strider and trailing the other four behind her, and Erend marveled once again at her. The other three vanguardsmen gaped openly at the sight of Aloy leading practically a whole pack of striders, one of them gripping his weapon tighter out of habit. She dismounted the strider and detached the others from hers, grinning widely while her face was turned away. She led three of the striders over to Erend's men, and presented one to each.  
"Now this is the easy part, they're loyal to me at this point, they won't attack you unless you attack them first. You see the flatter, lower part of their backs? That's where you'll be sitting. Once you get settled there, you'll need to grab some of the wires on either side of their necks, which you'll use to guide them. Now, who wants to go first?"

  
Erend looked between Erend and his men, and he realized the smirk that graced her features was almost predatory. Sometimes he looked at her and saw a beautiful woman, and sometimes she reminded her more of a stalker. Setting traps for her enemies, observing from a distance until she knew how to cripple them correctly. He shook the thought from his head, she wasn't trying to harm his men, she was just being practical as usual, speeding their trip to Pitchcliff. He laughed aloud at his men's reluctance, and walked over to the last strider that he knew was his, hopping onto it's back with only a little difficulty. A silent sigh of relief left him when he successfully mounted the machine, glad that he didn't manage to embarrass himself in front of his men _and_ Aloy.

  
This action inspired confidence in his men, and all three of them tried to then mount their striders at the same time, two of them knocking legs against each other and falling in a heap on the ground. The third nearly made it, but the other two bumped his mount on the way down, and it started running off, jostling him off it's back suddenly. Soft groans came from the two in a pile, and a sharp Oseram curse from the third, and Erend let out a deep guffaw at the state of the best warriors in the sundom. Aloy stole a glance at him, doubled over with laughter at his men, and she turned back and grinned at them widely. Apparently, they quickly understood what Aloy was trying to do, because the next half hour was a series of embarrassing failures on the part of the vanguardsmen, and nearly continuous laughter from their captain.

  
When they were finally all mounted and on their way again, Aloy sent them all silent nods of thanks before joining Erend at the front of the party.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so damn long, life got busy and I continuously forget to work on this instead of playing the actual game more, hah. At any rate, I'll try and update this more often, but with a full time job and other dumb adult responsibilities, it'll likely be about once a week. Don't worry though, I won't abandon it! Also I feel like this chapter may have gotten a little wander-y, please leave constructive criticism if you have any, my writing skills are rusty. <3

As they were nearing Pitchcliff, Aloy spotted a Banuk-style painting on the sheer face of the mountain range that led into the claim. She knew that there was likely a Banuk carving at the top of the cliff, and a merchant in Meridian had waved her down and requested that she retrieve any she came across. The woman was apparently returning the carvings to the Banuk tribe, and paying handsomely for them to do so. Aloy pulled her strider to a stop and hopped off, prompting a confused look from Erend.  
"There's probably a rare Banuk carving at the top of that cliff, I'm going to climb up there to grab it," Aloy gestured to the cliff-face as she spoke, quickly tying off her strider to Erend's. She watched as his eyes traced up the side of the mountain, a flush of concern just barely rising to his cheeks.  
"Should I come with you? There could be Glinthawks hidden on those cliffs," He moved as if to climb down off of his strider when Aloy stopped him with a waved hand and turned to jog off in the direction of the cliff.  
"I'll be fine, you and the Vanguard can keep moving on the road, I'll meet up with you further west," She jogged at a brisk pace away from the group, the four vanguardsmen watching her leave.  
"Hey captain, you know she can handle herself against a couple of Glinthawks, right? You don't have to worry," One of the other men poked at Erend, a grin sounding in his voice from under his heavy helm. With a huff Erend pulled both striders along the path, slower now, as he watched Aloy near the cliff face. He turned away to look at the path for a moment and when his eyes returned to the mountainside she'd disappeared. A wave of panic swept over him for just a moment, thinking that she had somehow fallen, or been attacked by Glinthawks or worse, but she suddenly appeared again higher up the mountain, swinging between hand-holds with reckless abandon. He marveled at her confidence, at the speed with which she was able to scale mountains, and again he realized that she was unlike any woman that he'd ever met. Her fiery hair glimmered in the morning sunlight as she pulled herself up another cliff face, nearly up to where the Banuk had painted his mark ages ago. Suddenly, a screech echoed out from the mountain, and an angry Glinthawk flapped its' way into the sky above her. He saw her roll safely onto a ledge and draw her bow, but his stomach clenched uncomfortably when he thought of how far the drop was from where she was. He pulled the mounts to a halt and nearly leapt off and went to help when he saw a spectacular explosion of frost from the machine, and a sputtering screech as it fell slowly to the base of the cliff. A thin arm raised above her red hair in a wave, and then she climbed the rest of the way to the top of the mountain.  
Erend returned to spurring on the mounts, moving toward the bend in the road where she'd indicated she'd meet them. Aloy found the Banuk carving on top of hand-made altar below the painting, and carefully placed it within her pack. She walked to the western edge of the cliff and looked down, seeing a rope downward that she could use for a much speedier climb down from the mountain. Aloy paced back a few paces to ready her grappling hook and took a running leap off of the edge of the mountain.  
Below on the road, Erend thought that his heart might burst out of his ribcage. He watched as Aloy's ginger hair re-appeared over the snowy mountain edge, examine the edge of the cliff, and go running off it. _Is she absolutely insane!?_ His eyes were straining to see what was happening in the distance and watched as the huntress twisted in midair, threw a rope at the edge of the cliff that was immediately pulled taut from her momentum. She slid down the length of the rope to a lower cliff, and Erend felt his heart begin to beat again. He let out a gust of air that he didn't realize he'd been holding, and heard a collective soft gasp from the vanguard behind him. Almost as soon as Erend began to relax, however, she'd leapt off of that cliff as well, gripping a metal handle as she slid down a thick rope over a chasm in the cliffs.  
She continued the ridiculously dangerous decline from the mountain by leaping off another cliff and disappearing behind a ridge. Erend sped the mounts up to round the bend in the road, and spotted Aloy jogging lightly out of the trees, breathing slightly heavily with a sheen of sweat on her brow. He could see her breathing heavily as her stomach was exposed in her Carja armor, and a flush rose to his cheeks as he realized he might have been staring too long.  
Aloy felt the adrenaline surging through her veins, bringing a smile to her face and a spring into her step. She didn't feel it at first, but once she got to the group of mounted men she felt the icy sharpness of the snow seeping through the separations in her leather armor. She brushed off the snow from her legs, grumbling slightly as the chill began to spread through her body.  
Erend watched as a shiver ran down Aloy's spine while she was bent over brushing the snow off of her leggings. A scowl was on her face as she looked back up, directed at nothing in particular.  
"Of course when I switch to the cooler armor we go somewhere nearly as cold as the sacred lands," a glare flashed from her green eyes at the mountain behind her, and she rubbed her palms against her bare arms in an attempt to warm up. Erend fought back a grin at her annoyance, but apparently failed as he earned a small glare from under Aloy's Carja headpiece. Another shiver ran down her spine as she mounted her strider and kicked it forward, grumbling something about Oseram men with a grumpy air about her.  
Aloy felt the cold sinking into her bones as they finished the trek to Pitchcliff, and wished she'd brought her warm Banuk armor, missing the thick furs and colorful fabrics that had always kept her warm in the high mountains near her homeland. The diamond-shaped holes in her leather leggings were felt sharply as a brisk wind blew down the mountain, and another shiver ran down her back. Her grimace reappeared as she attempted to stifle her body's reactions to the cold, spurring her strider faster toward the settlement.  
Erend watched as Aloy set her face against the chill and kick the soft sides of her strider with a bit more force than necessary. Guilt roiled in his gut as he realized she was only here because of him, was only shivering and angry at the weather because they'd needed to leave Meridian so quickly. Not only that, but he'd been an idiot and hadn't mentioned the fact that Pitchcliff was in the mountains. Internally, he smacked himself for being such a dullard, and resolved to improve himself for the millionth time since meeting Aloy. He knew she was in an entirely different level from him, and he'd never deserve a woman like her, but damn it he would never stop trying.

* * *

 

They arrived at Pitchcliff shortly thereafter, the sun finally coming out from behind the sun, warming Aloy slightly and banishing some of her grumpy mood. The vanguard opted to camp out at the tavern at the edge of the settlement and wait for Erend and Aloy to return with news. The two made their way to the marketplace of the small outpost, the acrid smell of molten metal and burning coals soaking its way into her hair. The smell was strong, but pleasant in a way, and she realized the metallic tang was one of the distinct parts of Erend's scent. She realized then why her mood had improved - the entire village reminded her of him. The garb on every person, the sounds of industry, and the gruff familiarity that Oseram had about them. The small smile that had appeared on his face softened the hard edge that had formed from her poor mood, but the cold was still present in her muscles.  
Erend watched Aloy out of the corner of his eye as she examined the village, her eyes flicking from the people to the buildings, to the forges. He could see her scrunch her nose as the strong smell of metal hit them through the gates. A flash of disappointment hit him then, as he realized she probably hated the pungent smell that he associated with home. He took to looking around the area, examining the differences in the outpost since he'd last been there with Ersa. The last time they'd been here was during the time they were part of Dervahl's rebellion. Before they'd heard his genocidal plans and rightfully left. And before Dervahl had made advances on Ersa. Erend grit his teeth thinking of the time, knowing that Ersa could handle herself easily, but also wanting to protect his sister from that scumbag.  
They finally arrived in the market and looked at the wares for a few moments casually before they looked for Marad's man. Marad had instructed them to be very casual in order to not arouse suspicion from any supporters of Dervahl that could be present. While Aloy was asking the other merchants, Erend chatted up the armor merchant, noticing a set of warm Oseram armor that looked as if it had been made for Aloy, and decided what he'd do to improve her mood. They found no trace of the spy, and Aloy tracked his footsteps out of the market, leading to an alley overlooking the mountain.  
"So Dervahl's men must have found him before we arrived, damn," Erend cursed sharply under his breath, putting a gloved hand to his forehead and turning away from the bloodied corpse.  
"Wait, Erend, look at this," Aloy grabbed the hem of his armor and tugged him over, pointing at some smears of blood on the ground by the man's hand, "if we assume this is Pitchcliff, and the route he drew here was the way to Dervahl's hideout..."  
"Perfect! Maps like this you know you should always follow, though by the way he drew that, it means the camp is higher up in the mountains to the West," Erend let a slight grin show on his face, knowing Aloy would be annoyed at the cold. He wasn't surprised then by the scowl that appeared on her face as she processed the cold temperatures ahead.  
"Again I'm reminded of my apparent foolishness, not bringing warm armor with me everywhere," the bitterness was evident in her tone, running a disappointed hand along the thin silks of her armor, "I'll be going to the tavern to warm up for a while if we have time before we leave then."  
"All right, do you think we can leave in two hours? You can join my men at the tavern until then, I have an errand to run in the meantime," Erend tried to make sure his errand sounded casual, like he'd been planning to make this stop the whole time, some Oseram business he had yet to finish. The nod he received from Aloy was curt but not unkind, and she turned quickly off toward somewhere warmer than the snow-covered alley.  
Erend immediately made for the armor merchant he'd spoken to earlier, a sigh of relief leaving his lips when he saw that the arrow-breaker armor was still at her stand in the market.

* * *

 

Aloy had been chatting with the vanguardsmen for about an hour and a half when Erend came into the tavern. She had positioned herself squarely in front of the fireplace with the vanguard loosely arranged around her, holding a mug of ale in front of her that they'd convinced her would warm her up even more. She'd been nursing it for the whole time since she'd arrived, knowing that they were likely in for a fight soon, and wanting her senses sharp.  
Erend entered the tavern with a slight duck at the low doorway, and the first sound he heard was the loud and low chuckle that was Aloy's laugh. He turned from the entryway and saw her surrounded by the vanguard, her head thrown back in laughter while his men slapped their knees with mirth. He felt a sharp twang of emotion, a sour feeling in his chest that he'd felt before- jealousy. _Are you crazy? Why are you jealous, your men would never._ But still, a small voice nagged in the back of his mind, wanting to be the only man who could hear her laugh like that.  
"Erend! Come, join us! We have time before we need to leave," her sweet voice yanked him out of his thoughts and an involuntary smile appeared on his face when he saw hers, directed at him. He stopped at the bar on the way over to retrieve another round of ale for his men and one for himself, distributing them as he sat across from Aloy. One of his men restarted his story about some caper with a Carja girl that Erend had heard a hundred times.  
By the time that he'd finished the tale, Erend had finished his ale and worked up his courage. Erend set down his mug and gestured for Aloy to come with him, watching as she set down her nearly full mug and rose from her position next to the fire.  
"I have to ask, Aloy, why the Carja blazon armor?"  
"This is what you needed to talk to me about? Well I think I sweat my entire body weight once over on my last trek across the desert, so I figured I'd adapt and dress like a Carja. And then, of course, we come somewhere frigid," she laughed a little at her own discomfort, but frowned slightly when she realized he was leading her outside.  
"I... Well, I just didn't think Nora women would wear something so... Open," Erend struggled to spit out words when Aloy clutched her arms around her sides, accentuating her breasts. He cleared his throat awkwardly and tried to peel his eyes off of her body.  
"Oh, I think the matriarchs might keel over if they saw me in this, but I'm not exactly the typical Nora anyway," she shrugged at the mention of her outcast status, and grinned at the thought of Lansra's face if she were to see the scant armor.  
"Well, I figured you shouldn't freeze before we get the chance to end Dervahl, so..." Erend paused as they arrived at the merchant and took in Aloy's slightly confused inquisitive look, "So I got this for you." He gestured toward the merchant as she presented the suit of heavy insulated Oseram heel. Aloy staggered backward slightly, her mouth falling open just enough that Erend noticed, and she stood for a moment staring at him like he had suddenly become a machine. Noone except Rost and Teb had ever given her gifts before. Rost of course would help her craft her clothing and weapons, but the only thing he'd ever given her as a gift was the necklace that she still wore around her neck to remember him. And Teb, well he was only repaying what he thought was his debt to her from when she'd saved him as a child. This, this was new. Noone had ever given her a gift because they wanted to make her happy, and at that realization a bright flush rose to her cheeks and she finally found words.  
"Thank you Erend, you... You didn't have to buy me armor just because I was complaining about the cold you know," she tried to calm her blush, but to no avail, because a smile so wide that her cheeks hurt refused to leave her face.  
"Well... I mean that, and I was worried with Dervahl's inventions, that your Carja armor wouldn't be enough to protect you," he rubbed the back of his neck and half shrugged, not sure what to say. He'd already begun blushing from her smile, but when she suddenly wrapped her arms around him he turned positively red and jumped in surprise. Her arms barely wrapped around his wide torso, her fingers just brushing each other along his spine. She leaned her face into his shoulder and squeezed, breathing in a deep sigh, taking in his distinct smell of leather and metal and explosives.  
When it finally sunk in that she was actually hugging him, he gently lowered his arms around her and squeezed her closer. A warmth spread in his chest from where she touched him, defiant of the biting wind, bringing a wide smile to his face. It was then that he finally realized - he was in love.


	4. Chapter 4

   Erend looked at Aloy for the millionth time in the trip from Pitchcliff and admired how she looked in Oseram armor. She'd not complained once about the heavy metal that he was sure she wasn't used to, only a pleasant smile sat on her face as the thick leather warded off the cold. 

   The new armor had seen battle almost immediately after leaving Pitchcliff, a ravager leaping out from behind a large rock formation to attack Aloy's strider. She'd been sent flying off the machine, and rolled when she hit the ground across the road. Immediately she'd turned and sent a tearblast arrow rocketing into the ravager's heavy cannon, ripping it from the machine with a loud screech. Erend barely had time to draw his bow before she was across the road and hefting the large cannon at the machine while it tousled with her mount. The heavy weapon quickly dispatched both machines, and Aloy only frowned slightly at the inconvenience of killing her own mount.

   Erend gaped slightly at the ease with which she'd taken out the fierce machine, and the vanguardsmen openly whooped in support. Aloy only grinned back at them and set upon the machine corpse, stripping it off all valuable parts faster than Erend had seen anyone do before. Occasionally she'd make a satisfied noise as she was elbow deep in the ravager's corpse, pulling out a pristine piece of machinery that he knew was worth a good chunk of shards.

   When she'd finished looting the machine it wasn't much more than a metal skeleton. She looked contemplatively at her dead strider, and then back at Erend.

   "Mind if I ride with you until we find another herd?" She asked with such casualness that Erend simply accepted without thinking. When she was on his strider ahead of him though, her back pressed to his chest, he realized the mistake he'd made. She was leaned slightly back against him, his arms around her sides to grip the wires from the neck of the machine, and his heart was beating as he were in battle. He was sure that she'd feel it beating through his armor and question it, but she never brought it up, which helped to slightly lessen it's frantic pace.

   Her red mane of hair was almost touching his chin, and when the breeze blew it carried her scent into his nose, making his spine stiffen. She smelled of pine needles and leather, with a hint of grass after rain, and he decided that she was his new favorite smell. The Oseram armor added a slight metal and explosive tinge to her scent that reminded him of home and made something in his chest twist that he didn't recognize. Occasionally she would move to make herself more comfortable on the strider and he had to grit his teeth more than once as her ass moved between his legs.

   Only a short time later they stumbled upon a herd of broadheads, and Aloy left him to retrieve a new mount. He was almost glad to have her not against him, if only so that she wouldn't feel his growing need for her every time she fidgeted against him. As soon as she left, however, he felt colder. Not from the wind that now hit him from in front of them, but from missing her form against his.

* * *

   They were now nearing the final ascent to Dervahl's camp, the sun setting over the mountains ahead of them, making a halo around the intimidating figure of a stormbird in the distance. Aloy had herded all their mounts into a sheltered area at the base of the nearby mountain, to hide them from other machines until they returned to them, and was now stoking a fire that they would stay near until dark.

  She felt the tension of an upcoming battle in the men, and she was arguably more calm than she thought she should be. The ease with which she'd taken out the ravager earlier that day had seemed to encourage the men, their proud remarks still ringing in her ears as she sat in front of the fire. The other men were passing a flask around as Erend cooked rabbits, still talking about her machine fight earlier. She laughed at one of the guard's comments - _his name is Ford_ she chastised herself - he'd been joking about the look on Erend's face as she took down the ravager.

   "Maybe cap was just jealous, the 'savage' can take down machines better than he can," another member of the guard - _Kiln_ she reminded herself - laughed as he put air questions around the word savage. She grinned widely at him when he used the exaggerated air quotes around the word she'd been described with for so long. 

   "Hey, I've never seen you lot take down a ravager like that either, if you're not jealous then you should be, Aloy is a master huntress," a smirk pulled at the corner of Erend's lips and he poked a half-cooked rabbit at Kiln to accentuate his statement. The men chuckled, but agreed with him, muttering various praise in her direction again, and she waved them off.

   "You'd all be this good if you'd been fighting for your life since you were born. I've just got more experience than you all," she shrugged noncommittally, but a sly smile appeared on her face as she continued, "but I'd be happy to give you lessons if you need them, I don't charge much!"

   Erend's deep laugh was reward enough for her joke, but after the vanguardsmen finished with their mock offense they also broke into throaty laughter. The third guard spoke then, jokingly moving to take her up on her offer, and she had to think for a moment before his name resurfaced in her mind -  _Flint_. He laughed at his own joke and then winked at Aloy from under his helmet, saying something about spending more time with her.

   Erend's spine went rigid when he watched Flint wink at Aloy, and then she _laughed._ His knuckles went white around the spit that he was roasting rabbits on, and his teeth ground together almost audibly. Ford laughed uncomfortably at Flint's joke as he heard the small growl that came from Erend's throat, and hastily changed the subject. Erend's grip on the spit loosened as Ford launched into a story about the time he failed to seduce a Carja huntress named Talanah.

   Aloy watched as the tension drained from Erend's shoulders and wondered what had caused it so suddenly, perhaps it was because his guardsman joked about needing training. She watched as he glowered at Flint, but lightened as Ford changed the subject, and Aloy nearly jumped when she heard the name of her potential sponsor in the Hunter's Lodge. By the end of Ford's story Aloy was clutching at her stomach with laughter, knowing how handily Talanah had turned down the guardsman gave her a new respect for the woman. The sun had finished setting by the end of his story, and they dug into the cooked rabbits before putting out the fire and getting ready for the assault.

   The hike up the mountain was relatively short, Aloy on constant alert. The cliffs rose high above them on either side and made Aloy feel claustrophobic, always looking for an ambush from above. As they neared the camp she heard the distinctive call of a longleg in the distance and tensed. They settled on a ridge overlooking the front gate, Aloy watching as some Oseram secured the chains that held down the machine she'd heard a moment ago. Aloy threw a confused look at Erend quickly, but did not remove her eyes from the camp for long.

   "Dervahl is a tinker, he probably keeps the machines to test his weapons. Or  _experiment_ on them," he almost sounded disgusted at the thought of Dervahl's experiments, and a flash of concern coursed through Aloy, thinking of the machine that paralyzed Ersa and her team.

   "Let me go in first and try and catch them by surprise, and then you and your men can come in later," Aloy turned to look at Erend and watched as he examined the gates slowly. She flicked on her focus and counted the figures on the walls, registering several other machines within the gates, but couldn't see far enough to know how many in total there were.

   Erend looked uncomfortable and Aloy could see him grinding his teeth slightly as he thought over her plan, a frown seated firmly on his lips. After a moment he looked to the other guardsmen and they nodded at him, which encouraged him to agree, nodding back at Aloy.

   "Be careful, but don't worry, we've got your back. Right men?" He looked expectantly at his men and they replied in unison, clearly more quiet than they were used to. A bright smile flashed into the night from Aloy's face as he turned back to her, and immediately she was off. He watched as she snuck across the ridge and dropped down into some brush, sneaking through the grass and silently pulling down a man at the edge who did not stand back up. She swiftly executed the Oseram in the guard towers, the _whoosh_ of her arrow the only noise that announced their deaths. Erend was shocked then, when he watched her nock a tearblast arrow and level it at the chained ravager in front of the gates. A loud blast echoed around the canyon and the ravager roared at its' captors and wrenched free of the lighter chains that held it's limbs. Another tearblast arrow whooshed across the field and ripped the cannon from the back of the ravager and it hardly noticed, assuming its captors had continued to injure it. Erend watched in amazement as the machine took out man upon man, ripping through the camp of unexpectant Oseram.

   Eventually, he heard the sound of the machine falling and some cheers from within the gates, and he watched as Aloy sprinted toward the cannon she'd taken off the ravager. He signaled his men then, leaping off the ridge with a shout as Aloy reached the cannon. The men that were left turned and rushed through the gates, unaware of the huntress just outside the gates, weilding the machine cannon. Before the vanguardsmen got to the gates Aloy had killed five men, moving slowly as she held the heavy weapon. She moved through the gates with them, firing constantly at anything ahead of her that moved. By the time the cannon spent its rounds there were only three men left, finished off quickly by the vanguard.

   Erend left his men at the gates in case of reinforcements and ran with Aloy up the stairs and toward the main building of the camp. Aloy leveled an arrow at a man who jumped out from behind a building and Erend watched as her arrow pierced his chest. Her face was a sheet of stone as blood spurted from the man, nocking another arrow in preparation for a continued fight. When she found none, she followed Erend to the doorway of the main building, throwing a hand to his chest when he nearly barreled down the stairs immediately.

   "Wait, Erend- there could be traps- let me check it with my focus," Erend growled at her instinctively but relented when he saw the concern written in the lines on her face. She scanned the hallway and started walking down the stairs, barely preventing a scream when a horribly high pitched noise assaulted her ears. She stumbled back up the stairs and watched as a man with a firespitter rounded the corner in front of her. The noise still hampering her movement, she barely made it behind cover before the man unleashed fire from the doorway. Erend let out a noise that she didn't know he could make and loosed several frost arrows at the man to slow his advancement. Aloy cleared her head with a shake and nocked her sharpest arrows at the man, letting three fly at once, all of them burrowing through his leather armor and earning her a flinch from him. Erend saw his opening and ran at the man with a shout, his Warhammer raised high. Aloy continuously loosed arrows to cover his approach, and watched as Erend's hammer crashed through the man's breastplate and crushed his torso.

   He was panting heavily as Aloy approached, an angry grimace glued to his face. Aloy examined the man's corpse, finding some strange ear pieces under his helmet and removing them. As she inspected them she realized their function and placed them over her own ears. Quickly she disarmed the weapon in the stairwell and waved Erend down with her. They were prepared for more of a fight when they rounded the corner down the stairs, but only found another of the strange weapons pointed at a cell with a prone female figure within.

   "Ersa!" Erend ran forward and brought his hammer down on the machine several times until it turned off. He rushed forward and kicked in the door of her cell, immediately dropping his hammer to lift her into his arms. Aloy trailed behind him, waiting a moment before approaching the cell, offering up her pouch of healing herbs silently. Ersa smiled at her but pushed her hand away, causing a panicked look from Erend.

   "Ersa, I'm so sorry we didn't find you sooner, I'm sorry that I'm such a drunk idiot that you didn't take me with you in the first place, I..." He spat words out with much difficulty, trying to apologize for everything at once before she stopped him with a look.

   "I didn't bring you because I knew it was a trap, little brother. I just didn't think it'd be such a  _good trap._ But Meridian needs you now Erend, you've got to grow up now. Promise me," Ersa coughed out her words with some difficulty, and Aloy realized with a sinking feeling why she'd refused the herbs. They were wasted on her.

   "I will Ersa, I promise, I'll grow up, just you've gotta- Ersa? Ersa!" Erend shook his sister lightly, the panic rising in his voice as he realized what was happening. His head lowered toward hers as a choked sob left his throat. Aloy felt his grief keenly, reminding her off herself when she watched Rost die at the Proving.

   "Erend, I'm so sorry," Aloy knew that her sympathy didn't even begin to be comforting, and so she offered to do what she was good at, "I'll look around in Dervahl's things, maybe we can find where he's gone." Erend looked as if he couldn't speak if he tried, and only nodded at her before turning back to his sister. Aloy examined the room slowly, wanting to give Erend space she knew he needed. She watched out of the corner of her eye as he picked up her body and lifted her out of her cell, placing her gently on a table outside the barred room. Aloy listened to a recording of Dervahl with his family and tears welled in her eyes as she thought of Erend and Ersa's family, also taken away from them by the mad Sun-King. Eventually she approached Erend, knowing Dervahl's next target.

   "Erend... We have to get back to Meridian. Dervahl's next target, it's Avad," she stood uncomfortably over his shoulder, wanting desperately to pull him into an embrace, hold him until she'd never see that look on his face again. But she knew, she knew that this was not the time. She heard him take a deep breath and held his face in his hands for a moment before he could turn and face her.

   "All right, I understand. But, I can't just leave Ersa here. We... I have to lay her to rest. Oseram, we typically don't bury our dead... We build them pyres, letting them become one with the fire that we are forged in. I'd like to build one, for Ersa. You don't have to stay, the vanguard and I will meet you back in Meridian..." He stood then, with his sister in his arms, the tear tracks evident in the soot on his face, and looked at her with a grief that nearly broke her heart.

   "Of course I'm not going anywhere. I'm with you Erend, no matter what." She spoke with a strength she didn't know was in her, and Erend's heart swelled. He hadn't expected her to stay, after all, she'd never met his sister. But her presence made this easier, whether she knew it or not.

* * *

   The vanguardsmen and Aloy all helped build the pyre, moving in silent solidarity under the cloudless night sky. By the time the pyre was built, Aloy's muscles were sore and she could feel the fatigue from the day, but she refused to show it. Erend needed support now, more than ever, and she would do her best to be that support. There was a deep sadness felt throughout the valley as Kiln sang an Oseram song, low and soft, and Erend placed Ersa's body on the wooden altar. Flint and Ford joined in at the high point of the song, their deep voices echoing off the walls of the canyon in a sorrowful harmony. Erend lit the pyre with a torch and came to stand next to Aloy, his usually bright blue eyes glistening darkly with tears. Aloy could hear the grief in the voices of the vanguard, their words coming out with a choked tightness that Aloy knew too well. Aloy heard Erend breath in a ragged deep breath, and she brushed her hand up against his experimentally. He didn't move his away, so she softly twined her fingers through his. Erend felt a lump in his heart when her hand twined with his, his sorrow mixing with his affection for her, and he gently squeezed back, eternally glad that she'd stayed.

_"I'm with you Erend, no matter what."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh jeez, sorry about this one guys. I listened to sad music the whole time I wrote it, and I think I may have made myself cry several times. Anyway, I hope you like it despite the feels. I felt that the funeral for Ersa would've happened right away, with more formal Oseram services happening later after the attack on Meridian. Any constructive criticism is fantastic as usual, and I'd like to give credit to Silence North, who created the vanguardsmen name of Kiln, and I loved it so much I just *had* to use it. <3


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wherein there is grieving, strong alcohol, and bed-sharing. <3

The ride back to Meridian was filled with a heavy sort of quiet. The sort of quiet that Aloy could almost  _feel._  The vanguardsmen were nearly entirely silent, which was such a departure from their normal raucous joking and berating each other. Aloy rode next to Erend the whole way, attempting to be silent emotional strength for the grieving Oseram. It was a two day ride back to Meridian, and camp that first night was about as silent as the whole ride there, the vanguardsmen retiring early, leaving Aloy and Erend sitting on a log together at the fire.

   Aloy could almost feel the grief radiating off of the large man, and scooted closer to him. Ostensibly she shivered, making it seem as if she was cold, knowing he wouldn't want her pity. When she shivered, he gave her a strange look but didn't comment on it, allowing her to lean lightly on his side. Erend tensed when she leaned on him and hesitated, he desperately wanted to put his arm around her, but didn't know if that would be too forward. She sighed almost imperceptibly and hugged her arms to herself, acting as if she was cold, and Erend had an idea. He leaned over to his pack and retrieved a flask, earning a disappointed noise from Aloy as he moved her. 

   "Hey, you cold? This'll help, if you want some. Always warms me right up." A large have extended towards her, holding a leather-wrapped flask. Aloy opened the container and cautiously sniffed at the opening. The smell was sharp, and extremely potent. It was a mix of sharp alcohol and a variety of spices, reminding Aloy of a spiced bread that Rost would make only once a year, for the winter solstice. Erend was looking at her with a smirk, and she took a gulp from the flask in response. Liquid fire roared down her throat and she coughed loudly, her body attempting to reject the firy liquid even as she swallowed it. A laugh escaped Erend at her cough that he clearly had tried to stifle, but at her playful glare he broke down, bent over with laughter.

   "When you said this would warm me up, burning my throat wasn't exactly what I had in mind, Erend," Aloy examined the flask in her hand again before taking another cautious sip. She felt the heat of the beverage settle in her stomach, and finally understood why Erend claimed it'd make her warmer. The warmth spread through her body pleasantly and urged her to take another large drink, and Erend recovered from his laughter in time to see it. His eyes widened with surprise at her enthusiasm, eyebrows rising toward his hair.

   "Hey, you might want to slow down on that stuff, it's real strong," Erend's face had amused concern written all over it, and Aloy responded with her tongue suck between her lips as she took another drink. The out of character response from the huntress made him bark out another laugh, feeling stress he didn't know he was holding drain from his shoulders. Snatching the flask from Aloy he took a gulp, smirking at her annoyed noise when he took it away. The warmth of the liquor spread through his stomach and chest, bringing a smile to his face as he looked down at the red-headed huntress.

   "What is that stuff? It feels so warm in my throat, but the liquid itself is cold," she brought a hand up to her mouth and touched her lips lightly, feeling the leftover moisture from the liquor. Erend watched thin fingers touch plump lips and felt a shiver run down his spine at the thought of where those lips  _could_ be. 

   Shaking the thought from his head he replied, "Oseram stuff, stronger than ale, more concentrated, and with better spices. I carry it on the road because ale weighs too much." A smirk rose to his lips as Aloy snatched the flask back from his hand and took another gulp. He watched as red rose to her cheeks, likely warmth from the strong alcohol. They continued like this for what seemed like hours, Aloy's perception of time being altered by the strong brew. Erend told stories of past drunk escapades, Aloy listening intently. After about an hour, she crashed, leaning against Erend's side sleepily. Erend smiled warmly down at her on his side, and finally he put his arm around her.

   "C'mon, let's get you to your tent, you need some rest," he held his arm around her to guide her up, ignoring her quiet groan of protest. They ducked into her tent carefully, Erend having to stoop slightly under the thick canvas. Sitting her down on the bedroll, he let her lay down and grabbed a blanket to cover her with. As he was about to leave, her small hand closed tightly around his wrist.

   "Stay, please," came the timid request from under her fur blanket, and Erend felt his heart clench. He froze there for a moment, not sure if she'd actually said what he thought she had. Assuming she was sleeping, he pried his hand away and successfully left the tent. He took a shaky deep breath as he stood outside the tent, heavily debating with himself what had just happened.

   In his tent next to hers, he stripped his armor carefully, leaving himself shirtless with his soft cotton pants. He lay down and grabbed his thick fur blanket to pull over himself, laying his head on his small pillow with a sigh. He lay there for an unknown amount of time, not able to fall asleep, memories of Ersa clouding his mind with grief. A rustle came from outside the tent and Erend shot up on his bedroll,a hand reaching for his hammer. Red hair poked out of a fur blanket that nearly enveloped Aloy as she shuffled into his tent, carrying her own bedroll.

   "Aloy? What are you doing?" Erend set his hammer back on the ground, looking up at her sleepy form with concern. She didn't answer at first, setting her bedroll down next to his and settling down onto it.

   "Couldn't sleep. Came here," she mumbled, and Erend thought for a moment she was sleep walking until she grabbed his arm and pulled him down. She pulled his arm over her and fidgeted slightly, settling until she was comfortable, and yawned widely. He tensed as he felt her cuddle up against him, her back pressed against his chest reminding him of the ride on his strider the day before.

   "Aloy..." Erend began to question her being there, but stopped when he heard the deep breaths that were characteristic of sleep. Her hand was twined in his, holding his arm around her, and he felt warmth rise to his cheeks at the thought. Not wanting to disturb her sleep, he situated himself carefully behind her and laid his head on his own pillow, the smell of her hair drifting into his nose as he did. 

   He fell asleep almost immediately, all of his previous grief dulled by her presence, and a small smile glued to his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoops, I suck! Got real distracted by real life and other videogames (*gasp* OTHER videogames you say?!). Yeah, I'm a weak person. Anywho, I'm back! And hopefully will be updating this more often again! Sorry about thaaat. Thanks everyone for your continued support, I hope this continues living up to your expectations!


	6. Chapter 6

     Aloy woke with a stretch, a yawn escaping her mouth before she could squash it. A clink from the corner of the tent drew her attention, and she sat up to see Erend donning his heavy armor near the entry of the tent. The dawn light filtered through the light-colored canvas of the tent to frame him with a warm halo, and a warm feeling spread in Aloy's chest. All at once she realized that this was _his_ tent, and that she had a splitting pain at the front of her head. Slowly, realization dawned on her and she remembered shuffling from her tent to his, a fierce blush rising to her cheeks. She dragged a hand down her face to hide the discoloration and let out a sigh.

     "Oh, Aloy. Uh. Morning," Erend flushed furiously and looked anywhere but her face when he realized she was awake. He quickly grabbed the rest of his armor and moved to leave the tent when she spoke up quietly.

     "Erend, wait," Aloy pulled her hand of her face with difficulty to look at him, and the blush on his face only made her heart beat faster. "I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable last night... And this morning. I... made decisions that weren't well thought out, and I apologize."

     "Aloy. Uh. It's fine, really, I shouldn't have let you have so much of the firebrew," He rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably but chuckled at the thought of her red-faced and tipsy. "I just don't want the men thinking anything _more_  happened is all. They have a tendency to gossip. Honestly, we're lucky Aneta isn't here, she's the worst of them all."

     "What would they think happened?" Aloy tilted her head to the side and stared quizzically as Erend turned tomato-red at her question. He stammered and mumbled something so quietly that she couldn't hear him, and she raised an eyebrow.

     "I... uh. I have to go round up the striders," He mumbled out the excuse so quickly Aloy didn't process it until he'd already escaped the tent. With a shrug, she began stretching her legs and re-arranging her clothes that had gotten mussed-up in her sleepy state. She left the tent and promptly re-entered her own, retrieving her armor and weapons before exiting again. With another stretch she absorbed the morning sun and wandered over to the campfire where Flint was seated and poking at the embers.

     "Mornin' Aloy, how was your night?" He grinned lopsidedly at her and waggled an eyebrow, and Aloy frowned slightly at her companion, confused at his question. "What, you think I didn't see you just sneak out of the captain's tent?" Anxiety clenched in her chest before she calmed herself, knowing that there was no reason that she should be ashamed. After all, they just slept in the same tent. Suddenly, Aloy realized with a blush what Erend was saying about the men thinking something else had happened. Unfortunately, the blush only spurred on Flint, making him think that his assumption was correct, and he burst into raucous laughter. His laughs only served to deepen the incriminating blush on Aloy's face, and she frowned deeper at him in response. His laugh died down into occasional spurts of chuckling, and she punched him in the shoulder when he was finally sat still.

     "Nothing of the sort happened _Flint_ , I just couldn't sleep with _your_  snoring in the next tent over, so I put some space between us," Aloy smirked as Flint rubbed his shoulder where she'd punched it, a sour look on his face. He grumbled something that sounded like 'damn girl can punch' and Aloy's smirk turned into a full-blown grin. 

     "Sure, sure miss huntress. The captain didn't need _any_  comforting last night, and you definitely couldn't provide it for him." The renewed gossip wiped the frown back off his face and he flashed white teeth, nudging her with an elbow for emphasis. Just as he did, Kiln and Ford emerged from their respective tents, yawning and stretching their arms. "Hey Ford, Kiln! Guess wha-" She cut him off with another punch, this time to his gut and he doubled over before he could choke out the last word. He took the hint, however, and immediately clammed up despite their prodding him for answers. She glared at him pointedly, Ford and Kiln not seeing her expression from over her shoulder, and his eyes would flick over to her face occasionally though their questioning, as if to make sure that she was still looking at him. After ten miserable minutes of Flint being berated with questions, Erend returned with the mounts, leading three with one hand and two with the other back into their campsite.

     "All right, quit your gossip men, we have to get back to Meridian today if we want it to be standing the next time we see it. Start breaking down your tents and lets get going, its past when we should have left," Erend barked at them while walking toward his own tent, having already tied off the striders to a tree. Aloy trailed after him toward her own tent, and continuously stole glances over at him - he'd sounded angry with his berating the men, and she was concerned that she'd done something to upset him. The disassembly of camp was methodical and quick, the men snapped into attention after Erend's commands hit home, and they were soon back on the road.

* * *

     The rest of the ride back to Meridian was quick, the striders being pushed to their max to speed their return journey. They'd already been gone long enough, and they had no idea how long ago Dervahl had abandoned his camp, if he was already to the city. They thundered into the merchant camp outside the main bridge, stirring up a cloud of dust that raised the ire of the constant group of people settled there.

     They dismounted and Aloy handed their mounts off to one of the Carja guards, telling him to do with them what he wanted. Erend sent the vanguard back to the barracks to deposit the camping gear as he and Aloy went to the palace to check on Avad. He was sitting in his throne room hearing complaints from all sorts of nobles when they barged in loudly, earning a pointed glare from blameless Marad. Erend marched directly up to the throne, leaning down and speaking quietly into Avad's ear. The cordial smile on the king's face quickly disappeared, and he brought Marad over with a motion while he stood to leave with the two warriors. Marad nodded silently as he sat down in a smaller chair next to Avad's throne to take over his audience with the nobles, as Avad followed Erend over to where Aloy stood,  not stopping but motioning for her to follow them outside.

     The small group walked for a bit until they arrived at a secluded balcony overlooking the Maizelands, and motioned for the two of them to join him on a cushioned settee. They both stayed standing, and Avad frowned, concerned. 

   "Avad... We have bad news," Erend started to speak but trailed off, rubbing the back of his neck with a sad expression.

   Aloy put a hand on his arm briefly to let him know she'd explain and looked at Avad to gauge his mood. "We made it to Dervahl's base camp, but unfortunately we were too late to save Ersa. I'm sorry." A shadow passed across Avad's face and Aloy could almost see him physically struggling to rein in his emotions.

   "Unfortunately, we don't have much time to mourn her loss yet. Dervahl is still alive, and he's coming for Meridian - for you," at this moment, Marad walked gracefully onto the terrace and stood over Avad's shoulder with his hands clasped behind him. "I looked around his things and found evidence of a huge shipment of blaze into the city under the name of Aelund Forgeman. I'm glad you're here Marad, I figured if anyone would know that name it would be you."

   "It does sound familiar, give me a moment," he disappeared for a moment, searching through some files in his bag, and returned to hand one to her. "I knew I'd heard the name- they bought a home in the warehouse district past the Hunter's Lodge some time ago. Recently shipments have been coming into the building slowly, but we didn't know what they were until now."

   "Good, thank you Marad. I'll go check this out immediately then. Avad, stay safe, please. I'll be back with information soon," Aloy made to leave the balcony, but stopped when Avad stood.

   "Erend, take a few vanguard and go with Aloy, she might need the muscle." Erend looked like he was about to protest, but he nodded and followed Aloy off the balcony. They moved quickly through the city, collecting Ford, Flint, and Aneta on their way. Erend sent several other men running off to the palace to guard Avad. The crowd of soldiers following the Nora huntress drew some looks from citizens, but the crowd parted obediently.

   The home looked nondescript from the outside, and Aloy flicked on her focus as soon as they were in range. The vanguardsmen immediately glowed orange in her vision, and beyond them she could see that there was currently noone in the two story home in front of her. She could, however, see large crates of blaze lining the walls of the home. With a motion to Erend he kicked in the door of the home with his hammer drawn, and the rest of the group followed him in. Aloy quickly scanned the room, her focus still active, marking each container of blaze with a motion of her hand.

   "Ford, Flint, Aneta, start taking these smaller containers of blaze out of here, Erend and I will check out the upstairs," Aloy didn't stop to see if they listened, making her way toward the stairs without a second glance. She took the stairs two at a time, bounding up them while scanning with her focus. She blanched when she rounded the corner and saw the giant pallet of blaze in the center of the room. She hesitated for a moment, looking around the room for a detonator wire, or trip switch, anything to set of the giant bomb in front of her. Seeing nothing on the ground between her and the bomb she carefully walked over, looking over the bomb for a detonator attached to it. Despite her searching, she could find nothing, looking around the edges of the pallet of blaze containers cautiously. 

   Erend came charging up the stairs and burst into the room, making Aloy jump away from the bomb. He stopped short in the doorway when he spotted the pallet of explosives, his eyes darting back and forth between it and Aloy. Aloy met his eyes and shrugged one shoulder at him before continuing her search around the room. After another few minutes there was a shout from the floor below from Flint, saying they'd cleared out all of the blaze. Aloy finally opened the barn-like doors behind the pallet.

   "Erend, help me push this out the window," she settled down into a squat in front of the large bomb, her back against the blaze canisters. She pushed slightly against them and knew she wouldn't be able to do it herself. Erend settled in beside her in a similar position, and hesitated for a moment, looking over at her.

   "This is crazy. Think we'll live though this?" Something like a grin rose to his face, but his eyes were sad, and Aloy felt her heart clench.

   "Definitely crazy. And probably not," she sent him a crooked smile and nodded at him, starting to push back on the pallet. He joined her and it seemed to take forever to break free from the friction, but it was soon moving quickly to the window. Aloy felt it start to tip over the edge and sent a wave of force against it in an effort to get it as far away from the house as possible. She nearly fell out of the window with the pallet, scrambling for the wall with a jolt of panic. Erend's strong hand closed around her wrist as his other grabbed her back, and he pulled herself back into the building. He didn't let go of her hand as he started away from the window, running down the stairs with a manic grin on his face.

   They practically dove away from the resulting explosion, landing at the feet of the three other vanguardsmen. A laugh bubbled out of Erend's throat, almost incredulously, and he slapped a hand on the ground with his mirth. Aloy gaped for a moment at the house on fire, but Erend's laughter pulled a string within her and she broke, sitting on the ground in the middle of the road laughing raucously. She stopped short when she saw some Meridian citizens on the side of the road, stifling her laugh and standing up quickly. She offered a hand down to Erend, helping him up off the ground with a conspiratorial look. 

   "Flint, Aneta, get a team together and start putting out this fire. It's not as bad as it could've been, but if it spreads it still could be. Ford, come with me- we need to get back to Avad," Erend immediately snapped back into captain mode, straightening up and putting on a stern face.

   "Erend, you and Ford go protect Avad, we still don't know where Dervahl is. I'm going to look around here for clues, maybe see where he's gone," Aloy flicked on her focus and gestured toward the palace without looking at Erend. His hand suddenly gripped hers, and she looked up to see him smiling at her, with concern in his eyes.

   "Be safe, Aloy. I'll see you at the palace."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyyyy guys, sorry for the wait again! I keep telling myself I'll get better at updating this thing regularly, but I'm busy with job/college stuff too, so who knows. I have the next couple chapters planned out already so maybe I'll actually be quicker with those, but who knows. Anyway, thank you all for still reading! Also, Aneta is a character created by the wonderful Emybunny, and I love her. <3


	7. Chapter 7

    Fortunately, when Aloy flipped her focus on, a trail of blaze footsteps barely visible to the naked eye appeared in the red dirt before her. She waved as Erend and Ford jogged toward the palace, and followed the trail of blaze through the city. The footsteps were intermingled with those from the many people walking through the city, and it made it difficult for her focus to keep the trail. 

   After about a half hour, she arrived at a home across the city, near the cliff wall of the Mesa. The door was left slightly ajar, and the footsteps appeared to lead inside. Aloy adjusted her grip on her spear and pushed inside the door carefully, making as little noise as possible. Her focus picked up no signs of life within the house and she relaxed slightly, but continued quietly down the stairs into the home's basement. A breeze blew against her braids and she started with surprise - wind was not usually present in homes, let alone basements. Rounding the corner she found the reason for the breeze - Dervahl and his crew had knocked a hole in the wall that was against the cliff face. Aloy leaned out over the sickening drop and felt a shiver run down her spine, but tensed when she saw figures running along the underside of the bridge to the palace Mesa. 

   "Dervahl. Fuck," Aloy cursed loudly and leapt out onto the posts that littered the cliff face. Pulling a face she began to run along the posts, scrambling across them swiftly and reminding herself that she'd done just this during the Proving. That was just on a mountaintop covered in snow - she could handle some poles over a cliff, easy. Adrenaline poured into her veins as she traversed the underside of the long bridge, watching as Dervahl's group disappeared on the other side.

   Pouring more energy into her muscles she sped up, reaching the end of the bridge quickly and leaping into the pool at the end of the courtyard. Two of Dervahl's men spun toward her in surprise, only quick enough to see the flash of her spear in the light. The first fell quickly with a splash into the water, and the second let out a surprised cry and jumped away from her. She leapt at him silently and planted a foot on the hammer he'd raised to stop her spear. With a shove, she jumped above him and twisted in the air, her spear connecting with the meat of his back. She rolled as she hit the floor and stood up quickly, drawing her bow in preparation to fight more men. Finding none, she retrieved her spear from the Oseram man, looking about the small courtyard for where Dervahl had escaped to. 

  A curved set of stairs led up from the pool and she sprinted up them, hearing a commotion in the distance from the main area of the palace.  _Mother, let Erend and Avad be okay..._ Aloy cursed to herself again, wishing she'd been faster following their trail, maybe she could have stopped them entering the palace. She nearly burst into the balcony from the stairs, but ducked down when she saw the three men with Dervahl. She could hardly hear him over the drone of his horrible sound machine, but he was talking animatedly at a figure curled up on the floor. His tanned muscular arms clutched to his head, Avad could do nothing to stop Dervahl's rant, and Aloy blanched momentarily when she saw the detonator in his hand. Yet, when he pressed the button with a sneer, there was no resulting explosion. After a few more frantic presses of the button, he cursed and ran off with his men in tow.

   As soon as he was out of sight, Aloy ran across the courtyard and smashed the machine with an enthusiastic swing of her spear. The ringing turned more high pitched for a moment but then sputtered to a stop, and Aloy spun toward the men on the floor behind her. Erend was already up on an elbow, looking at her incredulously. She gave him a nod and flicked her eyes toward the king before turning to run off behind Dervahl. Erend could take care of the king now that the mysterious machine was broken, but Dervahl needed to be stopped.

   As she ran across the palace, she listened for his raised voice, and found him near Avad's throne overlooking the city. He turned on her with a look of surprise that hardened into anger when he recognized who she was.

   "Ahh, so _you're_ the Nora that bushwhacked my camp recently, I see." 

   "And disabled that bomb you put in the warehouse," Aloy let a smirk rise to her face, hoping to make the man even angrier. Apparently her tactic worked, because his eyebrows knit together and he hefted the heavy weapon from the ground next to him.

   "I'm going to coat that throne in blood, bomb or no bomb, first yours, then Avad's." To punctuate his sentence a blast of air and noise exploded from the muzzle of his cannon and sent Aloy flying back into a wall. With a quick roll she avoided the next two blasts, and lobbed a ice bomb his direction and smirked at his angry yells. Training her bow, she sent two arrows flying at him at once, both bouncing off his heavy metal plate. With a curse she dodged another blast from his cannon and leveled another arrow at him, this time toward his un-plated legs. The arrow sunk into flesh to a pained howl from the man, and Aloy didn't hesitate before letting another fly into the arm supporting the majority of the cannon's weight. When he dropped the heavy weapon, she ran to pin him, but winced when an arrow whistled past her ear.

    _Blast, how could you forget his goons Aloy!_  Another arrow whizzed past her and she rounded on their source, sending a single arrow in the man's direction, the durable arrowhead embedding itself in his skull. Another man to her left let out a shout for his friend, and he quickly received an arrow to the shoulder that took him down. As she approached Dervahl, he crawled away from her on the floor, favoring his injured limbs.

   "It's not over yet, Nora! Any good Oseram tinker will tell you - always have a third plan," he sent a wicked smile in her direction and pulled a beeping small black box from a pocket, and Aloy almost immediately heard the characteristic screech of Glinthawks. Three of them came swooping over the palace and Aloy had to dive out of range of an ice ball from the first of them. Grabbing her tearblast arrows, she aimed at it's glowing underbelly and let loose the vibrating arrow. The resulting explosion rocked her on her feet and coated all three Hawks with frost. The wounded hawk fell with an ungainly flapping to the balcony she was on, and she quickly pulled out her spear to finish it while it was on the ground.

   Several well-placed arrows brought down the other two hawks who were finished off as swiftly as the first, screeching uncomfortably through the process. As Aloy was about to turn back to Dervahl, several new screeches rang out against the palace walls, and she hastily pulled more metal-piercing arrows from her quiver, holding them in the hand gripping her bow. A blast of frost from the leading Glinthawk just barely missed her torso, exploding on the wall next to her and coated her right arm with crinkling frost. She dodged another blast from the hawk as she pawed at her arm in an attempt to bring it's feeling back so she could continue shooting. 

     Before her arm recovered, one of the Glinthawks swooped low over her head, bringing its razor-sharp claws just inches from her skull as she dove for the ground. Rolling when she hit the ground, Aloy dropped her bow and instead retrieved her trip-caster, aiming haphazardly at the still-swooping hawk and launching a rope at it. A satisfying _clunk_ rang out across the courtyard and she immediately sunk the other end of the rope into the brick and aimed again at the hawk. Several ropes later it fell haltingly toward the ground, and Aloy pounced, sinking her spear into the delicate wires that ran along the top of its neck. A well placed bomb brought the second of the three to the ground to be finished off by her spear, and the third was hit in the frost pack by several arrows before falling to its' doom off the side of the mesa.

     Bending to pick up her bow, Aloy didn't hear the last screech until it was too late. A flash of sharp pain ran down her left side as Glinthawk talons tore down her front, cutting through the thick leather as if it were paper. A hoarse shout exploded from Aloy and she went down on her right knee, managing to tie down the metal bird with her trip-caster in one hand. With a burst of rage she turned and plunged her spear into the hawk, feeling the burn from her wound intensify with the movement. She pulled in a ragged breath and removed her spear from its' neck, the momentum staggering her backward to lean against the railing. A glance at her side brought the bile of fear to her throat, blood soaking her new armor and running down her leg. She knew that she was going to lose herself to shock soon, and that Dervahl needed to be restrained first, so she flipped her spear to use as a walking stick and hobbled the few feet over to the Oseram man who was still languishing on the floor. She kicked at him with her right foot, prodding him to roll onto his stomach. Despite some Oseram cursing and grumbling, he obeyed and a sigh of relief washed over Aloy. She stood with one foot on his back as she looped some rope around his wrists and tied as best a knot as she could with one hand. She could tell immediately when the last of her adrenaline left her, suddenly feeling the brunt of her injury and staggering backward to fall against the wall behind Avad's throne.

     A low groan bled from her lips as she heard Erend's shout, her vision blurring as she watched him round the corner on Dervahl, raising his hammer in anger before dropping it with a resounding _thunk_  when he saw her against the wall. Ford came running behind Erend with Avad and Blameless Marad in tow, but all Aloy saw before her vision went black was the yellow of his scarf as he hoisted her in his arms.

* * *

     Erend stood by Avad with nervous energy practically radiating from his limbs, shifting from foot to foot and looking toward where he could hear the screeching of Glinthawks. The only thing that kept him from running to help Aloy immediately was his duty to guard Avad from any possible reinforcements, and the occasional metallic _clunks_  that announced a Glinthawk's death. He'd heard Dervahl's voice at first, his shouting at Aloy for ruining his plans, but soon his shouts had died off and he could only hear Glinthawks. He hoped that meant that Dervahl was incapacitated, because he wanted to be the one to finish the bastard off once and for all.

    An uneasy silence fell over the palace as Erend heard a Glinthawk fall and listened for any more that could be attacking. He was straining his ears listening when a hoarse scream split the air, followed shortly after with the metallic screech of another hawk. Erend nearly bolted toward the sound before remembering his duty and sent an anxious glance at Avad. The Sun-king had a similar grimace on his face when he turned to face Erend, and nodded resolutely at the captain. That was all the permission Erend needed as he sprinted off across the palace, leaving Ford to keep pace with Avad. The silence was almost deafening, hearing his own heart pounding in his ears as he ran, warhammer in his hands in case of trouble when he arrived.

    He turned the last corner with his hammer raised, a grimace on his face as he prepared to face Dervahl. The man was on his stomach in the middle of the walkway, his hands tied roughly behind his back, with a sneer on his face directed at Erend. His vision tinted red for a moment as he advanced on the bastard, but he halted when he heard a slight whimper from ahead of him. When he looked up, all of the muscles in his torso spasmed, and he dropped his hammer next to Dervahl's head. He froze for a split second before running for Aloy, panic making his heart race when he saw the amount of blood running down her left side. A sharp pain came with the exhale of breath from his lungs when he wrapped his arms around Aloy's small frame, flinching at the unconscious whimper of pain she let out when he lifted her into his arms.

     Erend turned sharply toward Avad when he rounded the corner, panic shining in his eyes searching for help. Avad gasped sharply and called out for a healer, the woman appearing so quickly Erend wondered if she'd been spying on the fight. The woman laid a small hand on his arm and led him quickly across the palace to a room he'd never seen, packed full of beds and smelling like herbs. 

   She led him to a separate room in the back where he reluctantly set Aloy down on a bed and was immediately shoo'd from the room. The healer woman was resolute despite his protests, and he soon found himself outside the locked door of the healing area, having watched three other women enter with suppies and tools. Fear clawed at his guts as he realized just how much of Aloy's blood coated his armor, drying and cracking in the sun. With a shudder he thought about how small her frame was and how much blood coated him, let alone the flagstones at the courtyard and on their way here. He resolved to wait until one of the healer women exited the rooms before he would move even to clean his armor of her blood, and so he sat. He watched as the sun dipped below the western edge of the palace Mesa, night falling shortly after, the croaking of small frogs in the pools around the palace announcing the rise of the moon. His back muscles protested against being pressed against a stone wall, but he just adjusted and leaned back more comfortably. At some point Avad came to the room as well, bringing a tray of dried fruits and cheese with him that he offered to Erend as he sat on the bricks beside him. The King was clearly drained from the events of the day, learning of Ersa's death, nearly done at Dervahl's hands, and finding Aloy so wounded. Erend twitched in surprise when the king sat next to him, sending a confused look his way, but accepting the company when he saw the sad, exhausted look on Avad's face. He shared the platter of food gratefully, a rumble of his stomach reminding him that he hadn't eaten since they'd arrived back in Meridian. The two men sat shoulder to shoulder as the moon rose higher, silence laying heavy on their shoulders. Finally,  _finally_ the leading healer emerged from the room and they both bolted upright, muscles screaming from the sudden use.

   "The Nora woman is alive, your grace. We have done all we can for her at the moment, from this point it is up to her. She must fight if she wishes to recover. You may go see her if you wish, but I must request that you do not wake her," the woman spent the time speaking wiping her hands of what looked like blood, a shudder rolling through Erend's shoulders at the thought.

     "Thank you, matron. I appreciate your hard work on behalf of our guest. I'll make sure that she has everything she needs for a speedy recovery," Avad nodded sagely at the woman, and turned toward Erend with a question on his face. Erend clenched his teeth but nodded, following Avad through the unlocked door into the healing area. 

   The room smelled even more strongly of herbs and with a sting of alcohol making Erend's eyes water. A bucket in the corner was filled with what looked like rags covered in blood, and Erend had to screw his eyes shut to pull them away from the sight. Avad hesitated at the door to Aloy's room, his hand on the doorknob but a tension in his shoulders Erend felt all too well. Erend put a hand on Avad's shoulder softly, a hollow smile on his lips as he nodded at the king. Avad pushed the door open slowly, earning a drawn-out creak from the wooden door. Erend flinched at the noise in the relative silence, but followed the King into the room despite it, his eyes looking everywhere but the woman in the bed in an attempt to let himself believe it was better than he remembered. A soft gasp came from Avad as he saw the extent of her injuries for the first time, the angry red gash running down her left side only hidden where bandages covered her breasts. It was coated in a shiny clear sort of gel which did barely anything to calm the redness that practically radiated from the wound. Erend moved to her right side and put her smaller hand within his, feeling the clammy warmth bringing a grimace to his face that made a halfhearted attempt to turn into a smile. Avad stood looking over Aloy's wound from the other side of the bed, the contemplative look on his face not betraying any of his emotions. The matron walked back into the room then, a damp towel and a bowl of clean water in her hands. Avad moved back from Aloy as the matron walked up to her head, laying the wet towel over her forehead. She examined the wound for a few moments before looking at both men with a critical eye.

     "You two are allowed to stay if you wish, I will bring chairs for you. However, I imagine she will be unconscious for some time, and you two look as though you could use some rest as well. My professional opinion is that you both should go back to your own beds and sleep. I'll be sure to send a runner to let you know as soon as she wakes up." The woman finished her tasks and left the room again, clearly allowing the men to talk amongst themselves.

     "Avad, you should get some rest. You look like shit," Erend chuckled as he spoke so casually toward his King, rubbing the back of his neck.

     "I feel every single one of my 30 years today Erend, I am sure that I do not look my most kingly at the moment." Avad let out a morose chuckle at the thought, pushing his hair back from over his forehead. "I trust matron Asana, Aloy is in good hands here," as he spoke, Avad moved around the bed to Erend's side and put his hand on the larger man's shoulder, "We  _both_ should get some rest Erend, and you don't look much better than I do."

    "Avad, I," Erend sighed as he looked down at Aloy's hand within his, "I trust the matron, but I can't just leave her here. I'm the reason she got hurt, I mean..." 

     Avad squeezed Erend's shoulder as his Vanguard trailed off and gave him a knowing smile, "I understand Erend, I'll make sure that the matron knows to make you comfortable here. I'll be back in the morning, whether she's woken by then or not." 

     Erend couldn't find the words to thank the sun-king, so he nodded at the other man and made his best attempt at a smile. Avad swept from the room and Erend placed his other hand around Aloy's smaller one, desperate to feel the pulse in her veins that meant she was alive.

     "You'll make it through this Aloy, I know it," he spoke in barely a whisper, his face pressed up against the back of her hand, "I'm with you, always."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyyyy people! I can't even really make a good excuse for why it's been so long here, and I can't promise regular updates again (I mean I won't, cause I don't want to disappoint anyone) but here's another chapter! I'm the slowest writer ever (probably because I can't write a paragraph without rewriting it six times cause I don't think it's good enough) but anywho, I'm sorry. All I can promise is that I will make every attempt to make the gaps between updates shorter. At any rate, I hope you enjoy! Love y'all if you're still reading this after all my slowness!


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